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San Francisco Fleet Week is October 5 through 13 this year, and public transit is a great way to get there as thousands flood the city for air shows and other special events.  

The hallmark experiences of the annual celebration are air shows held along the San Francisco waterfront. To accommodate the crowds, BART will be running longer trains on Saturday, October 11, and Sunday, October 12. 

Here's how to reach the various air show viewing areas with BART + Muni: 

• Pier 39: Take BART to Embarcadero Station and use Exit A1 to transfer to the Muni F Market streetcar or bus.
• Fort Mason, Marina Green, and Crissy Field: Take BART to Montgomery St and use Exit A1. Walk to Kearny St and board the Muni 30 Stockton bus.
• Fort Mason (option 2): Take BART to 16th St. Mission and use Exit B to board the Muni 49 Van Ness bus. 

Parking is free at all BART stations on the weekends except Milpitas and Berryessa/North San Jose, which are operated by VTA. Pay for parking easily on the Official BART App. 

Plan your trip with BART’s Trip Planner at bart.gov/planner.  

May 26, 2023 update

BART and STraffic officials signed a Notice to Proceed on May 19, 2023, authorizing STraffic to formally start the project. STraffic staff will be working on the project at BART headquarters in Oakland.

April 13, 2023 update

The BART Board officially approved the contract to STraffic America on April 13, 2023. View the presentation, which includes early concept renderings.

Posted on March 23, 2023

BART is moving forward with a historic purchase of brand-new fare gates to be installed systemwide as part of its latest effort to win riders back and overhaul safety in the system. The new fare gates will bring a new look and improved experience, offering state-of-the-art technology that will boost safety by reducing fare evasion, enhancing access for people in wheelchairs and those who bring bikes and strollers on BART, and optimizing the reliability and maintenance needs of the fare gates.

At the March 23, 2023, BART Board of Directors meeting, staff recommended the Board move forward with the first purchase of the $90 million Next Generation Fare Gate project. Staff recommended awarding up to $47 million to STraffic America to implement the project. BART staff will develop an installation timeline with STraffic and will stress-test the new fare gate design at a yet-to-be-determined station later this year. The project calls for all stations to have new fare gates by end of 2025. A prototype of the new fare gates will be installed at the West Oakland Station by the end of calendar year 2023.

The new fare gates will look unlike any other of the current 700 fare gates in the BART system. While the new design has not yet been finalized, the gates will have clear swing barriers that will be very difficult to be pushed through, jumped over, or maneuvered under. The overall fare gate array height (gate, console, integrated barrier) will form a tall barrier of 72” minimum to prevent fare evasion.

The next generation fare gates will not have the orange fins riders have become accustomed to. They will also be different than the new swing-style fare gates designed by BART staff and recently installed to enclose elevators into the paid area.

The new gates will be able to handle large crowds without slowing people down as they move in and out of stations while processing their Clipper cards. The gates will have advanced 3D sensors that are able to detect if someone is in a wheelchair or has a bike, stroller, or luggage with them, allowing for more time before the swing barrier closes. The gates will have LED lighting on the swing barriers and the pathway through the gate to help visually impaired riders. STraffic has worked extensively with members of the ADA community and is committed to continue this work while designing the BART gates.

“New fare gates will transform the rider experience and will deliver immediate improvements to safety and reliability,” said BART Board President Janice Li. “BART researched world-wide best practices in fare gate designs to help guide this pivotal purchase. I want to thank the local, state, and federal funding sources who have stepped up to support this impactful project. I am committed to seeing this project fully funded and fully implemented without delay.”

To date, BART has secured $73 million of the $90 million project, with funding from:

• BART Funds (Operating-to-Capital Allocations and Measure RR) $23M
• County Transportation Agency Funds $28M
• Federal Funds $15M
• State Funds $6.5M

In recommending the vendor, BART staff evaluated proposals from industry leaders and scored each proposal on their technical approach, qualifications, experience in delivering similar projects, and price. STraffic America, LLC offered the best value to BART and committed to subcontracting 11% of the work to Disadvantage Business Enterprises.

Oakland-based writer Margaret Wilkerson Sexton is the author of On the Rooftop, the official selection of One Book One BART's fall 2023 book club. The acclaimed novel follows a mother whose dream of musical stardom for her three daughters collides with their own aspirations, set against a backdrop of a gentrifying 1950s Fillmore District in San Francisco.  

Sexton will be giving a free and open-to-the-public author talk at BART Headquarters (2150 Webster Street, Oakland) on Wednesday, Nov. 1, from noon to 1pm.

The talk will be livestreamed, and a registration link is forthcoming. More info here. 

In 2006, Sexton left her hometown of New Orleans for the Bay Area to interview for a job. She tells BART: "I didn't have a car so I rode BART everywhere." 

Read the rest of her statement about moving to the region and riding BART below:

I was thrilled to hear that On The Rooftop was chosen as the Fall 2023 selection for One BART, One Book. I moved to the Bay Area in 2006 via a one-way ticket from my hometown of New Orleans. I had come for a potential job and had reached the second round of interviews. It was a big job, and I was one year out of college; it was unlikely that I would get it. I didn’t have a car so I rode BART everywhere, trying to memorize the different stops and wondering where they might lead. I used BART to get to the Mission District where my then boyfriend, now husband lived on Florida and 24th. My great aunt had moved from New Orleans to San Francisco during the Great Migration then settled in Vallejo. When I went to visit her, it was her grandchildren who picked me up at the Richmond Station. And of course, I took the BART to my job interview. After, while waiting at Millbrae, I called my dad and sobbed into the phone. I didn’t know what I was doing. In just the few days since I’d arrived, I’d fallen in love with the Bay Area but didn’t know if I would have a viable way to live there. I didn’t know then that I would end up getting the job, nor that I would marry in the Bay Area and have my children there. I didn’t know that I would eventually write a book set in the city I was coming to know. And it was impossible to imagine that that book would be honored by the transportation system that has not stopped carrying me. 

-- Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, author of On the Rooftop

One Book One BART's fall club is fast underway! Read the book and join us for upcoming events in October and November: 

Sat. Oct 21, 1pm-3pm: Train Read-In from Richmond Station to Daly City Station (55 min) 

• Join BART staff for this season’s Train Read-In – a 55-minute ride starting at Richmond Station and ending at Daly City Station. Feel free to hop on along the way! Check back for full schedule. 
• What to expect: 
  • Book club-style small group discussions 
  • Trivia (with exclusive prizes!)  
  • Raffle 
  • More! 

Wed, Nov. 1, noon to 130pm: Author Talk with Margaret Wilkerson Sexton at BART Headquarters in Downtown Oakland (2150 Webster St, Oakland)

• On the Rooftop author Margaret Wilkerson Sexton stops by BART HQ for a moderated author talk and Q&A.  
• Event will be livestreamed.
• Join the mailing list and check bart.gov/bookclub to ensure you get a spot for the talk. Registration will go live mid-October. 

Visit bart.gov/bookclub to learn more about the book and where to find it locally, including from our partners the San Francisco Public Library, Moe's Books, Folio Books, and Banter Bookshop. Our bookstore partners are offering a 20% discount on the title when you show your Clipper card.